Little Busters Challenging Fate
by BlueFoxGhost
Summary: The actions of Riki and Rin has changed fate. How can these once weak students defy the fate they should have had? Follow the story as it continues after Little Busters Refrain.
1. Chapter 1

**Note: The following story takes place after the ending of _Little Busters Refrain._ It is told in Riki and Rin's POV. This is aimed to be a continuation of the series in my own vision. Everything that happens in this will be significant. Enjoy.**

"A dreamless sleep can't be cured"

Months ago, I nearly lost everything. I remember the heat, the tears, and most importantly…I remember the blood. That's right…Months ago I came close to dying.

Even though I had recently overcome my weakness through the help of Kyousuke, I had risked all that he had done for me. All the countless days spent in a transient world that never should have existed nearly went to waste.

But now, days after Kyousuke's triumphant return from a coma, everything was finally back to normal. Or at least, I wanted to think that. Relationships with my friends had become strained, nearly to the point of breaking.

Sure, days were going by again and the combined actions of Rin and I were regarding as a miracle. Miracle. That's what they called it. But can something that went against the ways of fate truly be called a miracle?

That question bugged me. I guess I had slipped into a state of self wallow. Part of me wished that Rin and I hadn't saved everyone; that we had left them to die as fate dictated. I distanced myself. Once again, I let fear rule my life.

On September 27th, I became the Riki Naoe that suffered from a chronic disease: Narcolepsy.

Narcolepsy…A disease I acquired by witnessing the deaths of my parents. I would constantly fall into a dreamless sleep; never knowing whether or not if I would wake up and my precious world would be the same.

September 27th…The date sounded so familiar, and yet I couldn't recall why.

"Hey Riki~!" My crazy, purple haired friend Haruka Saigusa called out my name in the same childish manner she always did.

I didn't respond, but I did look at her. Normally, I would have responded with a "hey Saigusa" but failed to let the words escape my mouth this time. I just simply blankly stared at her.

"Aw…No change…? Riki! Hey Riki! If you don't say something then Rin will start crying again! Kyousuke won't like that!" She started to pull on my sleeve, as if she was trying to guide me away from my seat.

No…That wasn't right. It was more like she was trying to separate me from myself. Like she was trying to bring me back to the same me I had been only a few days ago. My hollowed out self pushed her hand away, ignoring her efforts. I had a feeling something was going on, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Before I realized it, I had grabbed her hand and started crying myself. I wanted to cry. I wanted to wail out, and blame the world for something. To my luck, Saigusa took a seat on the top of my desk. She patted my head as if I were a dog.

"Riki...?" Saigusa gingerly touched my cheek, "What's going on? Why are you crying…?"

I opened my mouth to answer her, but no words escaped my parted lips. I closed my mouth again, and looked down. With my hand I wiped away my tears. I hated myself. No…I hated today. I couldn't recall why, but I did.

"Hey Ri-" Beside me now appeared Masato Inohara, a childhood friend of mine, "Hey Saigusa…What's wrong with Riki?"

His tone, ticked me off for some reason. Or I guessed it was his tone. Something he had done had caused me to slam my hand against my desktop and stand up suddenly. I could tell by the surprise on both of their faces, that I had done something out of anger.

"Calm down Riki…" Masato reached out for my shoulder.

"YOU DON'T GET IT! NONE OF YOU DO!" The words weren't me. They came from somewhere deep down, and from something I never knew existed. I started running and pushed him aside using my shoulder.

"Riki?" Not even the voice of Rin Natsume, my girlfriend for a few months now, stopped me. All it did was force more tears from me.

I glanced back, despite my anger. Then I noticed she stood there, tears streaming down her face. In her hand was a piece of paper, but by now I couldn't read it. It hurt. All of it, hurt.

Hours passed before I calmed down. I heard bushes rustle from somewhere behind me, so I looked back. Hiding there was a guy I looked up to: Kyousuke Nastume. He was the older brother of Rin, so I suspected he was there since I made his little sis cry.

"Go away…I feel bad about that…I'll apologize tomorrow," I called out to him.

"That's not it. Well…Yeah…I am a bit disappointed. You didn't make her cry intentionally," Kyousuke walked over to me, both hands in his pockets, "I'm here because you haven't been yourself lately. And I want to know why."

"Why..?" I looked at my hands, "I wish I knew that myself. Does she hate me…?"

"Rin? Hate you?" He laughed at me, and then he began to pat my back, "Come on. Don't forget that she's the same girl who risked her own life to help you save everyone. She'd do anything for you. Here…She wanted to give you this but you ignored her."

I took the piece of paper and read over it:

_Dear Riki,_

_I wish you'd talk to me. I'm worried about you. But I know you don't want to because you probably want to protect me from something…So I won't push. Say Riki…Once you finally talk to me I want to ask you for help with something._

_Always waiting, _

_Rin_

Suddenly I couldn't hold it in anymore. I just started to wail. My screams weren't aimed at anything. I just let it go. I felt like it was my way of letting the world remember me, to remember that I was there and that I was in pain. I lowered my voice after I felt an arm be wrapped around me.

"There there…Come on Riki…You shouldn't cry," Kyousuke whispered in my ear, "You're ruining your good looks."

I pulled away from him, "Thank you…Kyousuke. You always help me out when I need it…Even after you said I surpassed you. Sorry…"

"It's fine. Now then, if you don't know why you're not yourself…I'm going to go do some digging…Today is the peak of it, so I'm going to go for now," He stood and started to walk away, "Later."

I stood up now, and watched him walk away. But then it hit me. Narcolepsy. I was being forcefully dragged into a dreamless sleep for the first time in three months.

When I awoke again, I was in my dorm bed. I sat up and touched my head. Nothing explained it. Why was I having attacks again? Why was it possible for something that I went so long without a hint of, to suddenly hit me?

Then I heard the soft breathing of someone beside me. The light was dim, so I couldn't immediately make out who it was. But a part of me instantly knew who it was. Rin.

"Riki…" She whispered in her slumber.

I smiled, and patted her head, "Rin…Wake up."

She suddenly jumped, hitting her head on the top bunk. She rubbed her head, "Ow ow ow ow…"

"Rin! Are you okay?" I asked.

"Riki," She looked me in the eye now, her tone was serious suddenly, "You scared me."

"Sorry…Next time I'll let you sleep-"

"Not that you idiot!" She snapped angrily, and the tears began, "I was…You were…"

I sighed, "Oh yeah…I passed out…"

She wrapped her arms around me, "13 hours…That's the longest you've ever been asleep…I thought you were going to be asleep forever."

I held her tightly, and then I figured out why today had been so horrible. September 27th. It was never a good day. But each year that passed…I slowly forgot. But now…Seeing Rin cry and hold me tight while saying she was scared of losing me…I remembered completely.

It was the date of the accident that caused me to develop Narcolepsy. The date…That my parents died. I guess that I had subconsciously fallen into a depression. I hadn't noticed until that moment, the cruel behavior I had shown everyone.

"Rin…"

I felt a slap hit me, and it left me stunned for a moment. When I looked at the source, Rin was standing. And then she wrapped her arms around me again.

"Shut up…Let me hold you a little longer," She whispered.

I smiled despite the pain. The shy girl that used to hide behind me when around new people no longer existed. The girl that wasn't used to us being together, the one that tried her hardest to keep from running away at the mention of the word couple, had grown up to a girl who wasn't afraid to hug me. No…That wasn't it. I could feel her tremble. She just wanted to let me know that she had been worried.

"N-Now…" Rin pulled away and wiped her tears away, "Come with me."

"Why?"

"Just come," She grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the bed.

The two of us walked to the cafeteria, but she let me go in first. I opened the door, expecting something as simple as Kyousuke sitting there. But to my surprise, oddly, I was greeted with a single shout: Welcome Back!

I felt as if I had gone away, and that everyone had waited for me to return. Everyone was there. Kyousuke, Masato, Kengo, Saigusa, Kud, Nishizono, Komari, and even Kurugaya. It felt good to see all of our group, the _Little Busters, _together for something.

"Party time~!" Saigusa sang.

"Welcome back boy," Kurugaya held a cool demeanor in her seat.

"Hey Riki!" Masato waved, "Good to see you back to normal."

Everyone greeted me as usual. I smiled again. Rin had surprised me already, but now I was being surprised by everyone else. It made me happy. It made me forget the date.

"Let me explain," Kyousuke stood up, "Riki. I discovered the reason you were acting strange. Today's the day your parents died. I told Rin, and she ran out looking for you. She found you lying on the ground and called for help. She didn't leave your side even when the nurse said you were asleep. She asked us to get a party ready for you when you woke up. This was all her idea."

"Rin…" I looked at her.

She blushed slightly, "I-It's no big deal…I just…I wanted to do something for you."

"All right. It's time for a _Little Busters_ mission," Kyousuke cleared his throat, "Tomorrow morning, after classes, Riki and Rin will go on a scavenger hunt. They will be searching for items on a list that I'll drop off to Riki before classes. You will be facing challenges I will set up beforehand as well. So for now, let's enjoy our party welcoming Riki back."

Rin pulled on my sleeve, "Hey Riki…Are you really okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for staying with me Rin. Let's enjoy the party. I'm starving!" I half lied. A part of me felt sick. I was in pain from not only the fall, but with the realization that my Narcolepsy was back. I didn't feel like eating. But I knew if I didn't, then I'd just needlessly worry Rin.

I casted a glance around at my friends, and then I closed my eyes. I just listened to the sounds of the people around me. The laughing was soothing. It was a good distraction. I felt like around them I didn't have to worry about suddenly falling asleep. But at the same time, I worried. I didn't want to worry Rin. Or anyone around me.

Something in me told me to enjoy these moments; that it wasn't going to last. I recalled the words I had feared: Living meant losing. But now…I was even more afraid now though…I was even more afraid of losing the friends I had. I had nearly lost them once, and it wasn't something I wanted to go through again.

The party was a blurry memory from that point on. I couldn't recall it. I hadn't passed out or anything, I just couldn't remember from exhaustion. The next day was going to be hard, and I knew that. So when I went to sleep, I texted Rin something before falling asleep. I didn't see the reply.

_Rin…I don't think I can do this…_


	2. Chapter 2

"A cat has nine lives"

_Rin…I don't think I can do this…_

That text sent shivers down my spine. I couldn't sleep well. I was beginning to worry. Riki had lied to me after all. During the party, I had kept my eyes on him. He hadn't eaten anything despite him having said he was okay. I replied to him with a text that told him to hang in there.

During the scavenger hunt I planned on talking to him in order to help him relax. It bothered me that his Narcolepsy had suddenly come back. I had to stay by him in order to keep him from getting hurt. I didn't really care for the mission that stupid Kyousuke had given; to me it was just an excuse to have something to do. I could always just play with the local cats. Cats weren't scary at all, and I only let Riki help take care of the cats if I could help it.

When morning broke I sat up from my bed. Riki hadn't replied to my text all night, which I took to be a sign that he had fallen asleep. I stretched my arms and stood to get ready for the day ahead. I hesitated when I started to leave though, feeling as though once I opened the door that something bad was going to happen. Part of me told me to not leave, to call Kyousuke and feign being sick. The other part said not to run from whatever was about to happen.

I took a deep breath, and then I slowly pulled the door open. I was surprised to see the gross sight of Masato out of breath outside. My heart partway sunk.

"Rin…" He struggled to speak, "Riki…Is gone…"

I felt like breaking down now. I wanted to crack under the weight of sorrow I felt. Riki was gone, without a word to me. I was suddenly too afraid to speak. I felt like throwing up or crying until I couldn't any more. But that was the old Rin. The day that I almost lost all of my friends, I had decided to not run away from scary things ever again. Instead of running back into my room like a scared little girl, I ran passed him and towards the exit of the dorm rooms.

I cursed myself for forgetting my phone in my room, but at the same time I felt like it didn't matter. All that mattered to me was finding Riki before something bad happened to him. I was strong enough to not be scared anymore, but I knew deep down that if I lost him that I would sink back into the helpless girl I used to be. Kyousuke would be mad, not that I cared though.

I slowed to a stop when I saw Komari, and then I decided to ask her for help, "Komari!"

"Rin?" Komari looked at me, "What's wrong?"

"Riki's gone! I need help finding him," I could tell my voice was frantic, but I couldn't help it, "I'm ditching classes. While I'm out please get the _Little Busters_ together and start looking."

Without even waiting for an answer, knowing that she'd help, I ran away from her and left the school grounds. I spent the next few hours looking around the town for him. All I found from it was nothing. Not even my cat friends seemed to know anything. Even so, I offered them extra _Mon Petit_ if they would help out with the search. That seemed to fire them up. I attached a note asking Riki to come back to the dorms to each of them.

After a little bit I sat on a park bench crying softly when I realized I wasn't doing any good. The search had failed. Riki wasn't anywhere to be found. I really had lost him. I had lost the guy I had found myself falling in love with. My chest hurt. My head hurt. I didn't want to do anything anymore. I felt like I had lost the will to even live.

"Rin?" My stupid brother's voice came from behind me, "Are you okay Rin?"

"Kyousuke…Riki's…I lost…" I couldn't form words. I was too upset.

"He'll show up. He always does. Don't cry," He sat beside me and held me for a moment, "The cats won't like it."

"Shut up…" I wiped my tears away and I pushed him away, "I want to be alone. So go. Look for him."

When Kyousuke left without another word I felt relieved. I couldn't figure out why, but something about his demeanor was bothering me. I felt like he was trying to do something again, just like he had when we lived in a transient world that was a repeated semester. And then it clicked.

A scavenger hunt. Riki goes missing. Masato made sure I left my phone at the dorms. He _was_ scheming again. He appeared at my weakest moment because he felt like I was breaking. But now I knew the plan. I knew what he intended. He wanted to make sure I could handle being away from Riki. In his mind I probably had become too attached to Riki.

I looked around the park now. I needed hints. Something that would give me a sense of where to look. I closed my eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath. The wind changed directions. In my head, I could see something. Riki. Riki was walking around the streets. But something was wrong. He held his arm.

"Riki!" I suddenly shouted and ran towards the direction the wind was blowing towards. I didn't care about Kyousuke's stupid games. I didn't care about if I was too attached. Riki was all I could think about. Ever since we had agreed to go out, I hadn't exactly been the best girlfriend. I was distant from even him. Until we came back from the hospital that is.

The day we had woken up from a sleep, I had thought I had lost him. I was so scared. But then I heard the doctors talking about a boy who had history of Narcolepsy being roomed next to me. I wasn't scared anymore, so I began to improve "drastically" according to a doctor. Once I was strong enough to walk again, they had allowed me to visit him.

Riki's back had been burned. But according to the doctors, there shouldn't be any lasting effects. I stayed by his side as long as I could. We had discussed what had happened to us. I explained that I saw a vision of Komari and heard her wish. Her wish for me to be able to smile again. So I came to resolve to save everyone so I could smile again with them. And he had explained that he had discovered the cause of his Narcolepsy and forced himself to wake up from his attack.

We laughed about how crazy it sounded, but we both understood that it actually happened. After all, we retained memories from a fake world that was never meant to be. A world that Kyousuke had created upon his dying minutes. It didn't take long for us to use the strength we had gotten though.

I remember the feeling I got when Riki found Kyousuke leaning against the gas tank of the bus. I wanted so badly to save Kyousuke. Sure he was stupid…But he was family. All I had left from my family. But now my family included every member of the _Little Busters_. I had cried during that time, but Riki reminded me that Kyousuke was doing it so we could be safe. He had resolved to let Kyousuke keep buying us time.

I felt similar if not the same. Riki was injured and out there all alone. I had to do something. I had to save him. I didn't care if it made Kyousuke mad. I didn't care if anyone got mad. Riki was _my_ boyfriend and part of _my_ life. They couldn't tell me what I could or couldn't do. And right now I wanted to be with Riki.

It took me a few minutes, but I finally found Riki. Except…He wasn't injured. He wasn't holding his arm.

"Rin? Rin! I finally found you. Thank goodness you're okay," Riki let out a sigh of relief.

"Riki!" I ran to his side and inspected him to see if he was wounded. When I found no signs of anything, I let out a satisfied sigh.

"Rin, Nishizono told me you were missing. So I ran out to find you. When I couldn't find you, I got really discouraged. Kyousuke found me and told me that you might be hurt, so I decided to check town again," Riki said.

"That stupid jerk!" I hissed, "Kyousuke reminded me that you always show up. He sent Masato to get me. This whole thing was one of his schemes!"

"No way. Again? He's seriously testing us again?"

"Looks like it," I suddenly shivered.

"Hey look! It's that brat! Good for nothing girl. Weak girl. We should punish her again," A familiar set of voices approached us.

Instantly my vision darkened. I couldn't see anything. I couldn't hear anything. I couldn't feel anything. I touched my head and knelt down.

"Go away…S-Stay away…S-Shut up…I don't want to hear it…Not again…" I repeated everything again and again. I remembered everything.

My childhood. My tormented childhood. I was abused my everyone except Kyousuke. My father, my mother, and even the people who took care of our house. They called me worthless, pathetic, disappointing. They hit me. They made me cry every time I attempted to get friends. They ran off any animal I got close to.

Then Kyousuke and I ran off together and formed the _Little Busters_ together. I had been saved by him.

I felt someone grab my hand, and then I heard my name being called.

"Rin. Rin. Rin!" It was Riki, and with every time he called my name he got louder. He started at a whisper, and ended up shouting.

When I opened my eyes, I saw him. His cheek was bruised, and his eye was black and swollen. His arm bled and he held his arm. I felt tears stream down my cheeks. Riki had done something. Behind him lay three guys. I recognized them. They were from my house. They took care of it. They had also abused me.

"Ri…Ki?" I asked silently.

"Don't worry. They won't hurt you anymore. I'll protect you-" Riki coughed up a little blood.

I noticed it. His eyes were dull. It was like he was having an attack. I wrapped my arms around him to catch him if he fell. But I noticed one of the two guys moving again. I bit my lip, not wanting Riki to get hurt anymore than he is.

"Hey bozos!" Kyousuke kicked the guy from behind, "Leave my sister alone!"

"Kyousuke!" I exclaimed, "Riki's having another attack!"

"N-No…In pain…" Riki whispered in my ear, "But…It's worth it…"

"Rin, I'll carry him back to the school. You guys did amazing on your mission. I didn't expect those guys to show up. How are you holding up?" Kyousuke walked over to me and took Riki from me.

"I'm fine…I think…I saw memories. I saw the past. It scared me," I admitted.

"I'm surprised. This is the first time I've seen Riki fight like that. He kept standing up even though he was beaten down. Even when he hit his head, he stood back up and told them to stay away from you," Kyousuke revealed, "I was going to help, but Riki gave me a look that said don't. He wanted to protect you this time."

"J-Jerk…" I looked at Riki, "You should have helped him. Now he's hurt and it's all thanks to your stupid mission."

"Stupid?" Kyousuke sounded offended.

"Don't ever toy with Riki like that again. If you do…I'll have every cat attack you in your sleep," I went with the only threat I could possibly think of.

Honestly. Riki scares me with a mysterious text like he was giving up on something. Then, he goes out and gets injured. It's like he's trying to say something to me. No…That wasn't right. It was like something was happening to ensure we pay for saving everyone. I didn't care though. Riki and I saved everyone. I wanted a world with everyone in it. I knew I liked Riki…But I wasn't ready to let go of everyone. So I stood up against the fate Kyousuke said was going to happen.

Was I really in the wrong saving everyone? Was the miracle really a curse? I couldn't explain it. But for some reason, a part of me regretted it. I felt like the world was fighting back, punishing me for going against it. That struck fear in my heart. Why was only Riki being punished? When was I going to start being punished? I felt like I was on my last life, having spent eight of them already.


	3. Chapter 3

"For better or for worse…"

If I had chosen any other way, then Rin would have sunk back into her old shy self. So of course, I chose to endure the pain instead of her. I didn't regret it. I'd never regret it. Yes, Rin had been mad at me for getting hurt for her sake, but I could sleep peacefully knowing that whoever those guys had been hadn't hurt her.

No one had ever chosen her before, so of course she'd be in shock. According to Rin, the guys were from her past and had caused her to become afraid of people. And according to Kyousuke, he had stopped them before by running away with her.

Ironic right? Kyousuke had been so dead set on teaching Rin and I not to run from fate, and yet he did exactly the same thing before. Well, I thought so. He had praised me for my decision to fight the guys, but had scolded me for worrying Rin. I knew he was conflicted himself; after all I was his favorite in the group.

A week passed by quickly, and I was asked to go into town with Kanata Futaki, Saigusa's strict twin sister. At the time Rin had been kept away from me by Kyousuke, under the premise of me needing time to heal, so I had agreed.

I didn't particularly have an issue with Futaki. In fact, I respected her. Futaki was strong; and often looked out for Saigusa. In her own special way, she was Kyousuke as a girl.

Saigusa and Futaki were twins, but they had separate father. It's a little complicated, but true. I knew the story of their relationship though. Futaki had been picked to be the best child, and had been pressured to hate Saigusa in hopes that she would excel in everything.

But the plan backfired and Futaki ended up loving Saigusa more than ever. As a child if Kanata didn't beat Saigusa in everything, then she would be beaten severely. Because of her love for her sister though, she intentionally threw one of the cooking competitions and let Saigusa win. As a result, she was beaten and whipped. She hid everything from Saigusa for all their life.

Until one day, Saigusa had fallen into a deep depression due to Futaki smashing her favorite bench. She was later charged with several charges of vandalism and theft, and was put on trial by the Disciplinary Committee. Saigusa lost her sanity for a brief moment when she felt the committee judging her the same way her family had.

Futaki spread out flyers, rumoring that Saigusa was the child of a murderer. Whether or not it was true, Saigusa was scared and believed it. She quit going to classes and even came close to quitting the _Little Busters_. I finally had enough and tried to cheer her up. I went with her to meet her supposed father.

At first it was a bad start. He didn't want to see her. In fact, he sent her off in tears. And that angered me. I wasn't going to just let him hurt my friend like that. So I decided to intervene on her behalf. Without any other choices, I found myself going to Futaki. Surprisingly…She was more cooperative than I thought.

In the end, thanks to my meddling, Futaki admitted the truth and became closer to Saigusa. They even got to visit their mother, and found out that the man who was said to be a murderer wasn't actually all that bad. He was a drunkard, but he did what he did in order to protect the two girls. He didn't regret it at all. He never said which child was his, but he knew it didn't matter. He loved both girls.

"Naoe, stop spacing out. It's creepy," Futaki instructed me.

"Sorry…I was just remembering what had happened between you and Saigusa. It kind of makes me happy to know that something I did ended up saving someone," I admitted.

"Don't play God anymore. You'll get in over your head and hurt someone eventually. Haven't you learned anything from my mistakes?"

"No. Not at all."

"Well, Haruka's lucky to have you to care for her. Sometimes I wonder what it means to be a sister. I wasn't much of one was I?" Futaki's voice had darkened with sadness.

"You were a great sister," I attempted to cheer her up, "Not everyone would have the strength it takes to burden themselves with high expectations so that their sister could live a care-free life."

"Even though it was out of selfish needs?"

"Even though," I confirmed, "The end result was the same. Saigusa doesn't hate you anymore. That's all that matters."

"I guess you're right," Futaki shrugged, "Regardless...What would Haruka like as a present?"

"Huh? Present?" I asked.

"Yeah. Our birthday is in a few days. It's the first time I've gotten her something. So I'd like your help," Futaki seemed sort of sheepish when asking for my help. But to me it made sense. The two hadn't gotten along until very recently. So of course she wouldn't know. But the problem is...I didn't know either. Saigusa was strange and unusual.

"Um...Maybe...Something creative and colorful. A paint set?"

"A paint set...That does fit her. I'll go find something. You should get her something also," Futaki gave a nod.

After a minute she left me to go shopping. Saigusa's birthday? Wait a second. That means that Futaki is going need a present also. This day had started out going well...But now it kind of sucked. I didn't know Saigusa that well, nor did I know Futaki very well. They both needed presents. For a moment I considered calling Kyousuke or Masato for help, but ultimately decided against it.

This was my own challenge. I had to do it without the help of the _Little Busters_.

I went to store after store looking for something. But I couldn't decide on anything. The two girls' interests were worlds apart. It was impossible to find something that the two would like from the same store.

"Excuse me," A girl's voice came from behind me, "But could you help me with something?"

I turned around to see who was talking to me. I was surprised to see a blond haired girl who's hair was tied back like Rin's hair. She had icy blue eyes, and she was slightly taller than me. She wore a school uniform that matched my school's.

"Huh? S-Sure..." I was slightly stunned. I wasn't expecting her to look so...Pretty.

"I'm looking for a present. There's this guy I'm friends with. But I don't know what boys like, so I was hoping you could help me pick out something. My name is Kanami Urushibara. You can just call me Kana," The girl spoke with an odd sense of dignity and eloquence. She smiled, despite me being a complete stranger.

"I-I'm Riki Naoe...You can call me Riki then," I couldn't help but to smile back. Something was wrong. She seemed too familiar. As if I knew her.

"Riki? I used to have a neighbor by that name. But he suddenly moved away after being in an accident," Kana laughed, "It's kind of silly...But I kind of thought we'd be friends forever. But now I don't know where he is."

No way. Kana had a friend with my name...Who moved away...Come to think of it...This blond girl always had played with me up until the time of my parents' accident. I couldn't remember her name though. I couldn't remember her face. Could it possibly be this girl who was standing in front of me? No. It couldn't be.

I shook the thoughts away, "Um...Does he play sports?"

"Yeah. He likes baseball. But...He never seems to fit in on a team. He heard of a group of kids forming a baseball team at our school, but he didn't have the courage to ask if he could join. He kind of regrets it," She sighed sadly.

"Oh...Baseball...What's his name?" I dared to ask, having an idea to help this girl out.

"Soujiro Akina."

"Hold on a second then. I have the perfect present idea for you," I took out my phone and dialed Kyousuke's number.

"Riki?" Kyousuke's voice sounded sort of like he was in pain.

"Kyousuke. How do you feel about having a second baseball game?"

"Sounds interesting. But you're the leader," He reminded me, "It's up to you."

"Tell the others," I said, "I'm going to introduce someone to you guys tomorrow. Later."

When I closed my phone and put it back in my pocket, I turned to face Kana, "Well Kana. Tomorrow, having this Akina guy come to the school's baseball diamond. Tell him his present is waiting there."

"Wait...You mean..."

"Soujiro Akina is officially part of the team," I smiled, "Starting tomorrow, he's part of my group _Little Busters_ and will play in our second game."

"Oh my god thank you!" She hugged me tightly, "Thank you so much! He'll be happy to play! How can I ever repay you?"

"Actually...I need help picking out a gift for these twins I'm friends with. But I don't know what to get them," I admitted.

"I know! Get them matching charms! Something that goes together, like them!" Kana suggested.

"That's brilliant!" I said, "Thank you Kana! See you tomorrow!"

And then I raced from store to store searching for a set of charms. Finally I found a pair. When I began to buy them, I noticed a necklace that looked nice. When I got to looking at it, I noticed it had a cat on it. I sighed when I realized I didn't have enough for it, but to my surprise, the clerk smiled and told me I could have it. I explained that I was buying it as a gift, and she laughed and told me to consider it her gift. Then she told me that guys never came into the store, and it was a thank you gift for the laugh.

I didn't care though. I had gotten three gifts. When I found Futaki, I kept them all hidden. She told me it was time to get back to the dorms, and we started walking.

But when I passed Kana on the street, something happened. It hit. Narcolepsy. I was forced out of the world. When I noticed myself slipping, it all made sense. Kana. She had brought new painful memories. She was that girl. It had made me sad to leave her, but I left to be with Kyousuke and the others. Who would have thought that something that helped me feel better, would end up only making me feel worse?

All I remember about that moment, is Futaki suddenly screaming my name. She sounded and looked worried. I don't know what she did next, but I had worried another friend. Curse my problems.


	4. Chapter 4

**Note: Sorry for the delayed chapter update. I came down with writer's block. The plan is to have two chapters posted every week. This one was kind of rushed. This chapter, Chapter 3, and Chapter 5 are all connected about a single plot. I hope you enjoy.**

"The road most traveled"

After class I began to think back to the day before. According to Futaki, I said something about Kana. Masato saidI had slept for the whole night. And I even was late to classes. Already my day was going horribly wrong. I felt light headed.

For some odd reason, Rin wasn't in class. I was worried until Kyousuke reminded me that she might just be with local cats. That didn't eliminate my worry completely though. A part of me was still worrying about guys from her past showing up and hurting her again.

As I walked towards the old baseball team's locker room, I noticed a boy with light red hair watching me. I felt a little disturbed, but I knew that if anything really happened that everyone on the _Little Busters_ would help me.

When I finished changing into gym clothes for the first practice in months, I glanced over the now dusty bats and gloves. So many memories were now covered in dust, as if it were a horrible foreshadowing of us abandoning each other like we had baseball.

The first to arrive for practice was surprisingly Nishizono. She was only our manager, but she still showed up to practices. Usually last though. The next was Kurugaya, followed by Kud. I couldn't help but to pity Kud, since she seemed to attract Kurugaya almost as much as Rin and Komari did. Saigusa had said she couldn't make it to practice since she and Futaki were spending the day with their mom.

Kyousuke had come earlier to pick up the balls. For some reason, he had disappeared with them. Masato and Kengo were arguing when they arrived, as usual. The only ones missing without an excuse was now Rin and Komari. Worried even more, I texted both of them.

But when I didn't hear back from them, I decided to go ahead and take everyone to the field. Kyousuke was waiting there for us. He had a faint smirk, as if he had planned something. That sent shivers running down my spine.

"So Riki," Masato was swinging three bats with one hand, "Why did you call us here?"

"Oh right. It's been months since we've been on this field. I think it's time for us to have another game," I announced nervously.

"Perfect!" Kyousuke exclaimed, "It'll be something refreshing for once. I like it."

"But that's not all," I noticed the red haired kid from before now walking over towards us next to Kana, "We'll be trying out a tenth player."

"But I'm the tenth player," Nishizono sounded serious.

"Manager doesn't count," Masato explained.

"Oh. Really?" Nishizono asked.

"How did you even become manager anyways? You know nothing about baseball," He dropped his bats, "Anyways Riki. Who are they?"

"Soujiro Akina," I pointed towards the two coming our way, "He's right there."

The boy seemed to hide a little behind Kana when he noticed my pointing. He reminded me a little of Rin, which scared me a little. I'd have to build up this guy's courage. The same way that Kyousuke had done for Rin and me.

"Riki~!" Kana had a sing-song tone in her voice today, "I brought him! Surprise! You'll be joining these guys' team! Isn't that great Souji?"

"Y-Yes! I'm Soujiro Akina! Nice to meet you!" The boy bowed as if this were a formal occasion.

Everyone laughed at his strange behavior. But it wasn't like a laughter to insult him, more like to help him relax.

"I'm Riki Naoe. You're going to take a test. What's required to play baseball?" I asked the same question Kyousuke had asked everyone else.

"Required? You mean it's not skill? In that case…determination, hard work, passion…and…um…teamwork!"

"That's pretty lame-" Masato started.

"Amazing! I'm moved! Brilliant! You're in!" Kyousuke was in tears by the boy's answer. Typical him.

"He's so simple…" Everyone whispered in unison.

"All right! Now then, let's start practice. Akina…Can you pitch?" I asked, realizing that our star pitcher was absent.

"Yeah. And please just call me Soujiro."

"The goal of this exercise is for you to get a feel for your teammates' strengths. I'll bat second. Masato, you're going first. Then Kyousuke, Kurugaya, Kud, and then Kengo. On your bat, announce yourself and one thing he should know about you," I announced.

Everyone took positions. Kyousuke was the umpire, and I was the catcher for the first bat. Masato did a practice swing, "My name is Masato Inohara! And I believe muscles make the world go round!"

Soujiro wound up his pitch, and threw a pretty quick fastball. But Masato managed to hit it and scored a double base, before being tagged before reaching third. I switched positions with him, and tried to calm myself for my bat.

"My name is Riki Naoe. I'm the leader and peacekeeper in the _Little Busters_," I prepared myself for the ball.

Soujiro hesitated, but he threw the ball. It zoomed right at me. But it wasn't a strike. It wasn't a ball. It was a walk…If I had been able to walk. The ball nailed me in the face, knocking me unconscious for a few seconds. When I regained consciousness, I was lying on the ground. Kyousuke was checking me over, and applying pressure to something that stung badly on my head.

"Riki? Oh thank the heavens you're awake. Are you OK? You took a pretty nasty hit. You're bleeding from your forehead," Kyousuke seemed relieved.

"I'm fine…I'll take another swing."

"What? Are you crazy?!" Masato tensed up.

"Maybe. But I want to try again," I admitted, and then I forced myself onto my feet.

And so I took position again. It was hard to focus on Soujiro. But this time when he threw it, I managed to hit it at least. But it went foul. So we tried again. This time I messed up and let the ball hit my fingers, which stung. On the fourth try, I hit a single. But it became too hard for me to even think, so Kyousuke took over practice and told me to go rest.

But I couldn't. I left them of course, but I didn't go straight back to my dorm room. I went to see if I could find Rin where she usually played with the cats. But she wasn't there. I finally decided to just sit down and rest for a minute. When I checked my phone, I had a message from Komari.

_Sorry Riki. Komari's sick and my phone is gone. Can't make practice._

I replied telling her I needed to talk to her. And after a few minutes, she said she'd meet me in the library. So, after waiting a minute to try and ease my now throbbing head, I headed to the library.

Upon getting there, I saw Rin and Komari sitting at a table. I hesitated, but went over to them. When I sat down across from Rin, she looked instantly at my forehead.

"You're bleeding," She stood and checked me over, "What happened?"

"Huh? Oh…Batting accident. Our pitcher threw a walker and hit me in the head-" She pressed hard into the wound, which made me realize she was angry, "Ow!"

"_I'm_ the pitcher. Who did this?" She ignored the fact that she had hurt me worse than the ball ever did.

"Soujiro Akina…Our new member."

"I'm going to go have a talk with him," Rin slammed her hand down on the table, "_You_ are staying here with Komari."

"No don't RIn. Please. It was an accident," I insisted, but even I sounded like I was trying to believe that myself. Something had been off. He had hesitated, and then threw a fastball. I normally wouldn't question it, but then he had no arguments to us trying again. And then he injured me again on the third try.

"For now I'll let it go…" She sat down glaring at me, "I haven't seen you outside of class for a week and you come back injured. You're worse than a curious kitten!"

I laughed at her obvious joke about her obsession, "Sorry sorry. I'll be more careful. That reminds me…Here. I got this for you when I was out with Futaki the other day."

She took the box and looked at it curiously. She clenched it hard and then asked, "Why were you out with Futaki…?"

"Huh?"

"Why were you out…With Futaki?" Rin wasn't trying to hold back any anger at this point.

"Rin…" Komari tugged on her sleeve, "Calm down…"

"No I won't calm down! I leave him alone for a week and he goes out with another girl?!" She was in tears as she ran away from us.

I reached out my hand to stop her, but it was useless. She was gone. She had completely misunderstood. No…That's not it. I misunderstood. I had said the wrong thing.

"I'm sure she'll calm down eventually," Komari tried to pass it off with a smile.

"I'm a horrible boyfriend…" I let out a sigh, "I was out with Futaki present shopping for Saigusa. I got something for Rin too when I saw something she'd love. I worded that wrong didn't I Komari?"

"A little bit…" She admitted, "Don't worry though…She'll understand. I should…I should go back to the dorms. Will you be OK by yourself?"

"I think I'd prefer it that way."

"Okay. Bye then. I'll explain everything to her for you," Komari stood weakly.

"No…I'll do it. I'll give her space, and I'll explain it when she's calmed down and ready to talk," I decided, "Are you sure you don't need help?"

"I'll be fine."

I watched her wobble away. Then I punched the table, _Dang it! I screwed up with Rin. What's going on here anyways?! Kana showing up…Then Soujiro 'accidentally' injuring me…Something isn't adding up. But what? What am I missing?_

Part of me blamed rescuing everyone from the bus that day. But I didn't regret it. If having all my friends alive together means that I have to endure some pain, then by all means I'll make pain my drug. It was worth it.

I decided that tomorrow I would talk to Soujiro and find out what happened to make him hit me with the ball. And when I stood up, everything turned to darkness around me.

Was it Narcolepsy? No. I wasn't falling asleep. I was falling unconscious. Again. My injury must have been more severe than we thought. I landed with a thud, and the last thing I recall was hearing, seeing, and feeling nothing. It was a scary feeling.


	5. Chapter 5

"The unforgiving cat"

I knew Riki had his reasons. But the fact that he had gone without telling me is what hurt me the most. I was his girlfriend. If he wanted to go into town with another girl he could at least tell me who and why beforehand. At least then I wouldn't have been too angry with him.

I clenched the box in my hand and threw it against the wall in my room as hard as I could. To my surprise, it opened when it hit the ground. Curious, I walked over to it and picked up what was inside. It broke my heart when I noticed what it was exactly. A cat necklace. And on top of that…It was the one I had seen in a store before and told Riki I wanted around a month after the accident.

Riki had remembered and gotten it for me when he was with Futaki. That meant he wasn't out on a _date_ with her, but just with her. Embarrassed I took the necklace and put it around my neck. I fumbled with the small cat and wondered why I had assumed that Riki would have cheated on me. Then I realized it. Kyousuke had kept us apart and I simply missed him. Then I found out he had been with another girl. I was jealous that someone got to spend time with him when I wasn't allowed to.

I searched around the room for my phone, and still couldn't find it. I gave up after a few minutes and sat on my bed. Then I remembered that when Komari had gotten sick, we had gotten permission for Masato to come and move our beds a little bit…under supervision of course. There wasn't any way I was letting that gross idiot in my room without someone like Futaki watching him. When he moved our beds maybe my phone slipped in between them.

I reached my hand in between the bed and the wall. I felt my phone somewhere close to the bottom, but not quite onto the floor. I managed to pull it up and out. I checked the messages on it and saw one from Kyousuke.

_Riki got injured in practice. Check on him._

I sent back a single text saying he came to me and that he said he was fine. I sighed and decided to go back to Riki and Komari to see if I could apologize to him. When I opened my door, I was surprised to see Komari standing there about to come in.

"Rin? I need to tell you something."

"What is it Komari?" I asked.

"Riki explained why he was in town with Futaki. He was with her to help her pick out a gift for Haruka," Komari explained.

"Oh…Okay…He got me a necklace while he was out. I need to apologize for my attitude…Is he still in the library?"

"About that…" She rubbed the back of her head nervously, "No…He's in the nurse's office. He passed out after I left, and I came here to tell you."

My phone vibrated. I opened it to see a message from Kyousuke.

_Confront Soujiro Akina. He's up to something._

I replied asking him how he knew that. And then I left to go check on Riki. But somewhere along the way, I overheard someone talking about Soujiro. I stopped and listened in to the conversation.

It consisted of someone talking about Soujiro joining a baseball team. Then someone mentioned him having injured the captain of the team. Then it was said that he never apologized for it. And that got under my skin. This Soujiro guy had injured Riki, and then never apologized for it. The more I heard about this guy, the more I hated him. And the more I felt it was deliberate.

My phone vibrated again. And I checked the message.

_Because I was the one who was always up to something before._

He had a point. So I decided to confront this Soujiro guy. I ran towards the baseball field. Instead of just barging in on the field and interrupting the practice, I went to the locker room. I quickly changed into my gym clothes. I took a deep breath and wondered what I was going to do. I texted Kyousuke asking him to have Soujiro prepare for a test.

Then I hurried to the field. When I reached it, I noticed Soujiro on the pitching plate practicing his throws.

"Soujiro. There's going to be a little test. You see…Riki's girlfriend is here. She's our pitcher. She wants to test you by having a pitching contest," Kyousuke announced, "Whoever throws more strikes wins."

"Huh? Alright. I'm up for this."

I walked up to the pitcher's plate and glared at Soujiro. I looked him in the eye, and something bothered me. Dull. His eyes were dull. It was like he was lifeless on the inside. Cold hearted maybe. That confirmed my suspicions. He had intended to hit Riki.

"My stipulation…We pitch _to_ each other. Understand?" His words bothered me. What was with this guy? Was he trying to injure me too? Or was he underestimating me because I was a girl?

I gave a nod. I didn't mind batting against this guy. I was going to beat him. For Riki. We took our places, I was pitching first. I stepped up to the plate and closed my eyes. I prepared for my pitch.

I released the ball after winding up my pitch. I flicked it with the tip of my finger to change the direction. I did a twirl in mid air, and barely went over the top of the bat. Strike one.

We changed positions. I was at bat. I gripped it tightly and prepared to swing. He threw his pitch. I swung, and I tipped it but it still went behind me. Strike for him. We switched again.

This kept up for about twenty minutes. It was my turn to pitch. I wound up my pitch. And then, I threw my famous super fastball pitch. But I was shocked when he managed to it perfectly. It was my turn to hit. If I failed to hit it, I would lose. And then I couldn't face Riki.

I saw the ball be released from his hand. I noticed it was coming straight for my face, so I side-stepped. But then it curved. And went straight into the strike zone. I lost. I had lost my own challenge.

"Game. Set. Match," Soujiro removed his glove.

"Wrong," Kyousuke narrowed his eyes, "That pitch was illegal and cheap. Rin will get another chance. If she misses again, you'll win. It isn't right to trick her into thinking she's going to be hit."

I stepped back up to the home plate. I swung my bat once to practice. This time I was going to hit it. He threw again. But something was off. It was coming at my head again. I stepped to the side again, and swung. I hit it. I didn't hit it far…but it was enough for it to count.

Now it was my turn for revenge. My pitch. This was going to end the game. I wound up my pitch. And then I threw it. As hard as I could. It was faster than my super fastball. When it connected with the bat, the bat shattered and it was a strike.

It was my turn to bat. Last attempt. He threw the ball. I swung. Time seemed to slow down. I hit the ball. It was a homerun. I had won.

"Winner! Rin!" Kyousuke announced.

"Hooray!" Everyone cheered except for Soujiro. He seemed down that he had lost.

"I'm warning you now," I walked up to Soujiro and stood beside him, and then I glared at him, "Hurt Riki again, and I will make sure you _never_ play any sport again. Understood?"

"Fine…That was an accident. I'm going to go apologize to him after practice," Soujiro sighed, "You're good."

"Stay away from him," I warned, "If I catch you around him outside of practice…You'll regret it. And you're not too bad yourself."

And with that I went back to the locker room and changed back into the school uniform. I leaned against the wall and realized my legs were shaking. Something still bothered me. Why did Soujiro bother me so much? Why did I suddenly feel scared?

I looked at my phone and noticed a message from Kyousuke.

_Good work. Soujiro Akina is furious. How is Riki?_

I replied by telling him Riki is unconscious in the Nurse's Office and that I was going to visit him now. I decided against telling him about our fight, since I was overreacting and regretted it. When I arrived in the Nurse's Office, I went over to Riki. Riki was still unconscious. I grabbed his hand and laid my head beside him.

"I did it Riki…I beat that Akina guy for you. He won't ever hurt you again," I whispered.

"Rin…?" Riki's voice was low and weak sounding, "I'm sorry…For earlier."

"It's fine Riki. Just rest. I overreacted," I couldn't help but to smile and look up at him.

"Huh? You're wearing the necklace I got you…"

"Yeah…I love it. Thank you. I should have listened to you," I felt the tears in my eyes, "I should have trusted you more."

"Rin…" He patted my head, "Always remember you're the girl I want to spend time with forever. I'm going to be stuck in here for a while. You should go take care of Komari."

"I will…If you need anything call me. I don't care what time it is…I'll come right away," I promised.

"Riki!" Kyousuke came into the room now, followed by everyone else except Soujiro, "Glad to see you're okay. I've come up with an idea for our next task. We'll be going back to the beach, but this time we'll have a series of contests."

"Sounds fun," I said, "But what about Riki?"

"He'll be our judge. He is our leader after all. Consider this a team-building exercise. Riki, do you approve?" Kyousuke asked.

"Yeah. I don't mind. With my Narcolepsy back…I don't want to end up ruining anything for anyone," Riki gave a forced smile.

"No one would hate you," Nishizono spoke up, "It's not something you can control."

"She's right Riki," Kengo nodded.

"Thanks guys…But for now I'll just be on the sidelines," Riki shook his head, "I'm tired. So let's plan some more tomorrow."

"Have a good rest," Kyousuke put a hand on my head, "Come on Rin. Let's leave him for now."

I gave a nod and looked over Riki. In his current condition, I was worried about his mental health. I knew that he once considered himself a hindrance to us…But he had gotten over it once Kyousuke made him leader. But now he was back to thinking he was a hindrance. I decided I would keep a close eye on him until he was back to his normal self.

But that wasn't the only thing…I was going to keep an eye on Soujiro. He was still bothering me. I never imagined myself as someone who was going to put myself out around others. Kyousuke had definitely helped me build courage. But Riki had made sure I matured. Now he was being threatened by someone. I was going to protect him. Even if it meant I was out of my comfort zone. But one thing was for sure…I didn't like the guy. And I most certainly was never going to forgive him for injuring Riki to the point of him being forced to stay in the Nurse's Office until further notice.


	6. Chapter 6

"Cat's feud"

It's been four days since the incident with Soujiro. For the most part he's heeded my warning and stayed away from Riki. Occasionally he'd stop by our classroom and ask about practices. It bothered me how Riki had seemingly forgiven him so easily. It was as if he didn't mind being injured, or that he didn't even remember being injured.

But now that we were headed to the beach, I felt slightly uncomfortable having to sit next to the guy. Soujiro. That name alone was enough to make me mad. He had an essence about him that scared even my cats.

Cats were cautious beings, so if they were scared of something…They tended to have good reasons. That was enough for me to not trust him. Luckily, I wouldn't have to be paired up with him. Or at least I hoped not. If I did, then I would be ticked off. Kyousuke was picking the pairs, and knowing him I would be.

A few minutes passed after we reached the beach. I spent time with Saigusa and Futaki, who had decided to join us for some odd reason. Saigusa had begged both Kyousuke and Riki to let her sister come with us. Of course, Riki didn't have a problem with it. But Kyousuke was against it since she wasn't part of the team. Riki had a good point about numbers not evening out.

The mission was going to be divided up into five teams of two. I listened intently as Kyousuke and Riki took turns picking one name. The teams, in order, were: Komari and Saigusa; Kud and Kurugaya; Kyousuke and Kengo; Futaki and Masato; and then finally Soujiro and I.

Finally the time came for us to begin, "Riki and I have hidden several pieces of paper around the beach and the surrounding area. There are a total of nine. The team who collects the most will get to receive a trophy upon returning back to school. Since I hid the papers, my team will leave last. Everyone else goes when Riki starts us off," Kyousuke had begun speaking.

"Remember to mainly have fun and work as a team. You've been paired up according to your skill types. I won't go into detail, but when participating in this mission it should be made clear. Begin!" Riki announced.

The teams scattered. Soujiro had grabbed my wrist and dragged me alongside of him towards the edge of the water. I eventually managed to get out of his grasp and just simply strolled alongside him. It bothered me how he had suddenly grabbed me, but ultimately I knew it was a good thing. I wasn't about to be the leader. While it's true I was more confident in myself, I wasn't ready to be a leader. I had tried that once when the cafeteria had been deserted and we had to fix lunch for the whole school.

It had gone decently…For students. We made special dishes and served people. But we had sometimes fallen behind and I might have gone a little jelly crazy and gave too much to people. But I loved jelly. They should too. It was my little gift to them.

"Take a look around," Soujiro broke into my thoughts, "There's got to be one alongside the shore."

I gave a small nod. Having been paired up with this guy, I didn't feel like trying. My plan was to just hope the time passed quickly and it was over before too long. As I ran my hand through the waters, I remembered something. Kyousuke had helped hide things. That meant traps.

"Rin."

Riki's voice coming so suddenly from behind me made me jump and hiss at him. But when I saw it was him, I was embarrassed.

"What is it Riki?" I asked, trying my best to slowly back away from him.

"I know you and Soujiro don't really get along…Kyousuke told me what happened between you two," He glanced towards the other teams who were sifting through sand, "That's why we decided to put you two together though. Having a feud between two of our players isn't good for the team."

I was silent. He had found out. Originally I had hoped to keep it a secret from him. Half of me felt like he would have been angry, the other half wanted him to not be any different. But, I guess those thoughts were pointless. He hadn't changed since he had found out.

"Hey I found something!" I hadn't realized how far away Soujiro had gotten until he had called out. And then he started coming back holding a glass bottle.

When he came back, we took a look at what was inside. It was an old paper with a map drawn on it. I glanced up at Riki, who seemed shocked.

"This isn't one of yours?" I asked with a slight bit of fear in my voice.

"Nope…" Riki shook his head, "I didn't put this one here. If there wasn't a trap…Then neither did Kyousuke. Let's go talk to him. He'll know what to do."

We walked over to Kyousuke and Kengo, but before we could say anything Masato and Futaki had appeared. Masato seemed to be angry by something that Kengo had done.

"Hey you!" Masato shouted, "I'm going to make you pay for what you did!"

"What did he do this time…?" Riki whispered to me.

I shrugged and listened in, "You told me that perforated meant that something was beautifully decorated! When I tried using it today Futaki told me it meant that something had holes in it!"

"It's not my fault you always come to me for answers and believe what I say," Kengo shrugged him off.

"Why you…!" Masato seemed like he was about to punch Kengo.

"Hold it!" Kyousuke got in between them, "You remember our fight system right? We'll throw in random items from the van and you'll use whatever you catch in the fight."

And so Kyousuke came back dragging a bag of various items. What bothered me is how prepared he had been for this. We all threw in items. Masato caught a small water pistol. Kengo caught a pool noodle. I shook my head. Kengo was going to win. He always did.

The fight began with Masato shooting water at Kengo. Kengo, in return, began to whack him with the noodle. He retaliated by throwing his water pistol at Kengo, who side-stepped and continued to beat him. In the end, Kengo won due to Masato losing his weapon. Kengo bestowed upon him the title of "Gullible Monkey-Face".

Having witnessed the fight, everyone laughed except for Masato. It was a good relief for us, but it was time to talk to Kyousuke about the map we had found. Riki took the bottle and the map and went off to talk to him.

"What was that about?" Soujiro asked me.

"Whenever we have a fight we like to even the playing field by having students throw in weapons for us to use. The winner gets to give the loser a title that we use to refer to the loser. So for today, we could call him by his name or by his new title," I explained the best I could. I didn't really understand why Kyousuke had started the fight system, but it worked.

After a moment Riki and Kyousuke came back to us, "Rin…Soujiro…We're going to follow the map. Us four I mean. This is a real map and we should follow it. Kyousuke decided that."

"What about the mission?" Soujiro asked.

"The others can do it. Besides, this is more exciting," Kyousuke said.

"Where to first?" I finally decided to ask the very question everyone was thinking.

"It says to go to the Vallensworth Mansion hidden in the rocks," Kyousuke looked around to see if he could find a series of large rocks. He pointed and motioned for us to go that way.

The journey consisted of us going behind large rocks and following a hidden path into a cave. Then we went into a large house hidden in the cave. After that we traveled into the cellar and found another hidden path. When we reached the end of that path, we came to a door with a puzzle on it.

"We have to solve the puzzle," Kyousuke finally announced.

I took a look at the puzzle after everyone said they couldn't solve it. Then, I placed my hand on the stone pieces. When I pressed the pieces in, I was able to move them. It took me about ten minutes, but I finally got the puzzle solved. Eerily the puzzle formed the words trap.

A stone door opened and we went inside. Once we were in, we followed a dimly lit path to a large stone door. I placed my hand on it and glanced at my brother for the next instruction.

"Answer the riddle: I am the beginning of sorrow and the end of sickness. There's no happiness without me nor is there sadness. I am always in risk, yet never in danger. You will find me in the sun, but I am never out of darkness. What am I?" Kyousuke recited the riddle.

"That's weird," Soujiro complained.

"I don't get it. What's in the sun, but never out of darkness?" Kyousuke asked.

"I have no chance of figuring it out," I gave up before even trying, "Riki?"

"Hold on. Let's think this through. A riddle is usually a trick. So you think of something material right? So let's throw out material possibilities. Sorrow…Sickness…Happiness…Sadness…Risk…Never in danger…Found in the sun…But never out of darkness. Four of those have ness in the end. So that's what those have in common. But Risk…Sorrow…and Sun. What do they have in common?" Riki thought this through.

For a moment I smiled. He was really trying. And then it clicked, "Try looking at the words themselves…Not what they mean or are."

"S," Riki concluded, "They all have S. Danger doesn't have S, so it's never in danger. Thanks Rin."

I gave a nod, and I jumped when the ground began to shake. The door slowly opened up and Soujiro and I went inside first. But when we went inside, the door suddenly closed before the other two came in.

We were trapped. Separated. I was scared. I was left alone with a guy I didn't trust. I wanted Riki. I wanted to be held by him and told that everything would be okay. I wanted my stupid brother. I wanted anyone.

And to make matters worse, Soujiro suddenly laughed and leaned against the door, "Perfect…Absolutely perfect…"


	7. Chapter 7

"The sleeper's awakening"

"RIN!" I pounded my hand on the closed door, screaming her name wishing so badly for it to reach her. I wanted to know if she was okay. I wanted to know if she was safe. But deep down I knew it was useless. I was cut off from her.

"Riki calm down!" Kyousuke put his hand on my shoulder, "Rin will be fine. She's stronger than you think. Soujiro won't hurt her."

"Why would he…?" I looked at him mystified.

"You really haven't noticed? Soujiro is intentionally hurting you. The baseball incident wasn't an accident like he claimed. Rin confirmed it. We've been trying to keep you two separated, which is the real reason I wanted you to just be a judge," Kyousuke's tone had turned dark.

I didn't want to believe it. I had done nothing to Soujiro to make him want to hurt me. It didn't add up. Kana had trusted him, and so did I. If Soujiro had a good reason for hurting me…Then I'd be fine with it. But why was I the only one who trusted him?

I could feel the tears welling up inside of me. I couldn't bear knowing Rin was probably in danger. I whispered her name again, wishing so dearly for her to come around some corner or for the door to open up.

"Come on. Let's find another way around. I think I saw another path a little ways back," Kyousuke pulled by wrist.

I numbly followed. I now understood how Rin had felt when Kyousuke had sent her to that "sister" school in that world. So alone. I wanted her around. I needed her around to be at ease. Not even Kyousuke could keep my mind off of her. My heart was racing from the thought of her being alone and scared.

One second I was just numbly following Kyousuke, unable to even speak. But then, I was on my back staring at the ceiling.

"Snap out of it!" Kyousuke yelled at me, "Rin would hate to see you like this! If you worry about her that much, then help me find a way _to_ her."

Kyousuke had punched me and knocked me down. He had snapped me out of my lifeless state again. I seemed to always be indebted to him. He was always there to help me out. I thought I had become stronger, but now I realize that I was just as weak as I was before the accident. To make matters worse, I realized that I could have another narcolepsy attack at any moment.

"Sorry…I guess I lost sight of what is really important to me," I felt ashamed for having abandoned hope.

"Not only that. This isn't the Riki I know and love," Kyousuke helped me back onto my feet, "So leader, where to?"

"You said there should be a path around here. So let's find that and see where it leads," I glanced around for a hidden path, or even for a path.

It didn't take long for Kyousuke to find a path. Once we began to follow it, it opened up to a large cave. In it, was a stone table. The table had markings on it that made it into a game board. Curious, I looked closer at it. Then I noticed the pieces off to the side.

"Chess," Kyousuke said, "It looks interesting. Let's read what the instructions say…At these words take heed, play the game and lead. Be clever, or be stuck forever."

"So we have to play chess?" I asked.

"No I do. You go on ahead. I assume that once I start the game, a door will open. Go ahead without me and take the instructions. Find Rin and get out of here. I'll be fine and I'll meet you either at the beach or at the school," Kyousuke handed me the paper and sat in the chair in front of the table, "Rin doesn't need me to look out for her. I'm not the one best suited for it; rather it's you who she needs."

"But Kyousuke…!"

"But nothing. I'm a pro when it comes to mind games," Kyousuke smiled, "Get going."

I gave a small nod and hurried from the room when the door opened. I looked back at Kyousuke, and sighed. I saw that he was confident, so I decided to be confident in myself. Kyousuke was counting on me to look out for his little sister. I wondered how he'd go about getting through the tasks ahead. Ultimately I decided to just follow every instruction to the best of my ability.

When I reached the next challenge, I read the instructions to myself. Reach blindly into hope, and plummet down the slope. It rhymed again. I didn't enjoy the rhyme, but I knew it was important. It was a key feature to this mystery. But I didn't understand it. I found a small hole that looked like a hand could fit into it. I was hesitant, but I knew I had to take a chance. I reached into the hole.

The ground began to tremble. And then the stone on the wall began to fall and reveal another path. It was slanted like a slope. I decided to slowly slide down it. When I reached the bottom, I came to a large room. I looked around for another test, and found nothing but a door. I read the instructions, but it only told me to continue into the next room.

I went into the next room and found a maze. The instructions said: Travel in the maze, if caught in a haze then stay for days. I had to follow the maze right? I just had to solve the maze and get through without being caught in a haze. Haze? That wasn't clear enough. I wondered if it meant that a fog would start chasing me.

I trekked through the maze now. I didn't look back, and kept my right hand pressed against the wall. If I did that then I would most likely solve it faster. As I stumbled through the maze, my mind flickered back to Rin. She had Soujiro. I had Kyousuke, and then I had lost him. I was the one alone. So why was I still worrying about her?

I felt an ominous chill. I glanced back and I noticed something like a dark fog slowly creeping up on me. I started to dash now. I didn't want to be caught in it. But I ran into a dead end. I closed my eyes and punched the wall. I had taken my hand off the wall and taken a wrong turn. And now I would be caught in the haze.

I turned and walked into the haze. I had to backtrack. But everything became blended. I lost my way. This is what it meant to be stuck for days. I wasn't going to be able to get out anytime soon. And then that's when the freaky part started.

"You failed me Riki," It was Kyousuke's voice.

"Riki why did you leave me alone?!" Rin's voice came next.

"Why did you forget me?" Kana's voice came after that.

It continued, going through each of my friends. It began to hurt my head, and my heart. I fell to my knees and felt myself slipping into a self-pity state again. Why was this happening to me? What was going to happen to me? Will I ever see Rin again?

"Whenever you feel down, just use a bit of happy magic…" Komari's voice whispered in my ear, "It goes like this. Just say 'all right' in a happy tone."

I smiled. Komari was right. This wasn't the time for me to feel down. I'd seen Rin do the happy magic a few times. So now it was my turn. I stood up and tried it out. My troubles seemed to fade away. I wasn't going to give up.

I reached out my hand and felt a handle. Then, I jiggled the handle until I saw a break of light. I followed it and found myself outside again. I glanced around and saw a second door. Two paths. Maybe Rin was on her way out right now. Maybe we'd be reunited again soon.

I went over to the second door and opened it. I looked around the dark room without entering it. I could hear something like rushing water. I decided to take a risk and entered the room, but kept the door open with my foot.

"Rin!" I called out and waited for a response.


	8. Chapter 8

"Cat's intuition"

"Perfect…Absolutely perfect…" Soujiro's words echoed in the cold and dreary room.

"S-Soujiro..?"

"Rin…" He punched the wall, "Darn it I let my guard down. I should have known there would be a trick like this."

I crouched where I stood and held my head with my hands. I couldn't explain why, but I was scared. So scared. Soujiro obviously hadn't planned this like I had initially believed. To make things worse, it was getting gradually colder. If we didn't hurry and move, we'd freeze to death. But I couldn't find the will to move at all.

Pathetic is the perfect word for how I felt. Without Riki, I wasn't able to gather the courage to do anything. This wasn't like me. It was like the old me. Maybe I had become too dependent on him, but I wonder if that's really a bad thing? It's because of him that I was able to change, of course Kyousuke helped but I mainly credited Riki. Perhaps I credited him too much, for too many things.

"You have seniority over me, so where should we go?" Soujiro asked, walking slowly over to me.

I didn't respond. I couldn't. I didn't know what I was going to do, or how I was going to get out of this scrape. If Kyousuke was here, then perhaps he would actually have a plan. He'd have searched the room before even entering in an attempt to find an easy escape route. Riki would have just found it by accident, which is what would happen based solely on my luck. I felt light headed, and realized that the room was losing air slowly.

If there was a draft, which would make us both cold, then that meant there was a chance we'd find an escape before too long. In my head, I envisioned what would happen. I'd stand up, walk over to the center of the room and try to follow the breeze. If I couldn't find the breeze, then I'd trust my eyesight to spot an opening or crack.

"Rin? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I lied, "See if you can find where the draft is coming from. I need a moment to think."

Partly true. I was going to try and think like Riki. And, with any luck, I'd have the same dumb luck he always seemed to have. In my head I pictured him first, and then Kyousuke. Then Kud, and then Komari. Next came the faces of Kengo and Masato. Haruka and Nishizono followed that. And that is when I recalled my promise. I'd be stronger than I was at the time. At this rate, I'd fall back into my old ways.

Unable to accept that fate, I pushed myself to stand straight. Then I searched the walls carefully and meticulously in hopes of identifying a way out. With some miraculous luck, I spotted a hole that seemed big enough to fit a hand in. Slowly, I made my way over to it. Upon looking more closely at it, I noticed a lever. Whoever had made this place seemed to love levers. I noted that, as it may be a question later on.

I touched my hand to the lever, and then pulled it as best I could. Unfortunately I was too short to get the best grip, but somehow it still worked. There was a loud clicking noise, and a passageway on the opposite side of the room opened up. From where I stood, I could see that it lead to a maze. A maze usually marked the ending of a dungeon, so maybe it marked the ending of wherever we had stumbled upon. Or maybe it was just another trap designed to kill whoever was foolish enough to enter.

Of course it would have been Kyousuke who had pushed us to go investigate. He was always getting us into trouble. But deep in my heart I guess I loved him for that. He was helping us create memories that would last forever. It was his gift to the friends he had made over time. Without Kyousuke, I never would have met Komari or Riki. High School would have been hell without them.

My resolve to make it out of here alive seemed to be strengthened as I made my way to the now open door. I knew one thing for sure, if I ever found out who had designed this deathtrap, I would punch them in the face. I barely noticed that Soujiro had fallen in line beside me. At first, I had been scared that he had been planning to do something to me. But now, I saw a new side to him. He really was a nice guy. It was almost enough to make me forgive him for hurting Riki. Almost. Granted he was nice, no matter how I looked at it I always saw it as a purposeful injury. Remembering back to that angered me.

The instant I stepped into the maze, the mood around me changed. It was much darker than I had originally anticipated. I glanced around and noticed that there were several paths that looked right. But one stood out. It looked like it was much harder to pass through. At first, I was tempted to follow any of the other paths, but then I recalled a poem I had once heard:  
_Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,_  
_And sorry I could not travel both_  
_And be one traveler, long I stood_  
_And looked down one as far as I could_  
_To where it bent in the undergrowth;_

_Then took the other, as just as fair_  
_And having perhaps the better claim,_  
_Because it was grassy and wanted wear;_  
_Though as for that the passing there_  
_Had worn them really about the same,_

_And both that morning equally lay_  
_In leaves no step had trodden black._  
_Oh, I kept the first for another day!_  
_Yet knowing how way leads on to way,_  
_I doubted if I should ever come back._

_I shall be telling this with a sigh_  
_Somewhere ages and ages hence:_  
_Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —_  
_I took the one less traveled by,_  
_And that has made all the difference._

After reciting the poem in my head I decided to travel the harder one. But when I stepped towards it, Soujiro grabbed my arm.

"What are you doing?! That one is obviously too dangerous."

"_Two roads diverged in a wood, and I __— I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference,"_ I recited that part again for him, "A poem I once heard. I can't explain it, but I have a feeling these two are connected. If we take this one, then it should lead us to the exit."

And with that I led him through the maze. I kept to the one that was worn and seemed dangerous. Eventually, much to my expectation, we reached a door. I opened it and entered a new room. This room was large and cold. Part of me felt as if we had somehow doubled back and were now back to the entrance. But the only half didn't want to believe it. And then I heard a voice calling my name.

"Rin!" Riki called out from somewhere.

"Riki I'm in here!" I called out hoping he would hear me and come find me.

My legs were shaking now. I hadn't realized it until now, but my legs felt somewhat numb. I fell to my knees in an attempt to stop the shaking. I looked around for Riki, wanting so dearly for him to run up to me and hug me tightly. But even I knew that was asking for a bit much. I didn't even react when I noticed Riki walking towards the center of the room cautiously. I was too exhausted. I had expended too much energy working up the courage and strength to lead the hopeless Soujiro through the maze.

I numbly accepted Riki's hand when he helped me up, and I leaned on him. I didn't question why Kyousuke wasn't with him at first, I didn't even notice until Soujiro asked about it. I listened to Riki's story of the encounter with the large chess board and how Kyousuke had willingly stayed behind to complete the challenge and allow him to leave to rescue me. For the first time, I understood what it meant to be separated from family. The pain I felt was too much for me to handle alone.

"Rin? Are you okay?" Riki asked, "I know you're worried about him, but Kyousuke made his choice. I feel really bad for leaving him, so if something happens to him I won't forgive myself. But you aren't alone in this, I'm here. You and Kyousuke saved me that time, so now it's time for me to save you. If you want to cry, then go ahead. If you want to be mad, be mad at me. Just don't feel_—"_

And just like that, he stopped talking and I caught a glimpse of his eyes. They were dull and lifeless. It was the first time I had been so close to him when he had a narcolepsy attack. I just stood trembling while he fell to the ground unconscious. But I knew my face had twisted in worry and fear. I fell back to my knees. The events of the day had trained me of my energy completely. I didn't scream for him, and I didn't cry.

"Riki? Hey Riki! Rin what's going on?" Soujiro asked.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. Riki had gotten lucky honestly. I had realized we were still inside the traps. I had to suffer through it, but Riki could sleep through it. I touched my hand to his, and ran my thumb over his knuckles softly.

"Narcolepsy," Kyousuke had found us so suddenly that I jumped, "He suffers from it. Soujiro carry him. I'm going to carry my useless sister."

When he picked me up I didn't fight it. I was too confused of what was going on. I felt delusional. I felt like what was happening wasn't reality, but some horrible nightmare I'd wake up from back at the dorm. But deep down I knew that wasn't the case. It was really happening. I hugged Kyousuke tightly, and whispered my words.

"I love you...Kyousuke..."

Kyousuke smiled, "I know. Sleep like Riki for now. I'll get you back no matter what."

I didn't argue with him. I was already falling asleep. But one question resonated in my mind: What was this place?


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: I realize this one was a bit late and a bit rough, but I have only recently seen EX and not even fully. I've decided against using the false identity used in the first arc of EX. Please bear with this, as it is a multi-part arc for the story itself. **

The Girl Who Died

* * *

My sleep wasn't normal. It was more induced than a natural occurrence. It was as if someone or something was pulling me away from the world and into another. Normally I didn't have a dream, but for some reason I did. Well, a dream is stretching it. It was more of like a memory that wasn't my own. What I saw wasn't anything I recognized. I saw a blond girl holding a gun facing a masked man. I don't remember the words I spoke, but I did remember the words said to me by the girl.

"_Riki...Promise me that when this is all over...That we'll go on a real date OK?_"

And then as if pulled away from the dream I had woken up in a stream of sweat. The girl looked awfully familiar, as if I had met her before. I replayed the memories I still carried from the transient world, but the girl wasn't in any of them. As I looked around my dorm room I ultimately accepted that it had been before the accident that claimed the lives of my family and forced terrible Narcolepsy onto me. I carried very little memories from before then, and what memories I did have were painful to think of.

"Oh Riki!" Masato jumped from his top bunk and landed beside my bed. "Good you're up! Man you were out of it for two days! Kyousuke and Rin were worried, but I finally convinced them to leave since you'd be fine in my care! Yep! No one is going to get past these muscles! Speaking of muscles, for some reason you were muttering something about a girl and not wanting her to go? What's up with that?"

Two days? I was out that long? I stared at him blankly for a few seconds, and then I shook my head to signal I didn't know what he was talking about. And wait, what did muscles have to do with that last part? Baffled once more by Masato's inner workings, I climbed out of the bed. Having rested enough, I quickly changed into my uniform and headed out. Behind me Masato was screaming something about needing to work out more often.

The sun was unbearably bright that day, so much that I had to shield my eyes as I walked. Students were hurrying around since only one more class period remained. Apparently Masato had volunteered to stay behind and watch over me until I woke up, but in truth just didn't want to attend classes for the day. I walked to my classroom and noticed that Kyousuke was standing beside my desk. I slowly made my way to him, but he noticed me before I reached him.

"Riki. Rin. Come with me," Kyousuke glanced at his sister. "We need to talk about that _place_ now that Riki is awake."

"Riki?" Rin jumped from her seat in shock. "Riki! You're finally up! You had me worried."

"Yes yes catch up later," Kyousuke patted his sister's head, earning a hiss from her. "This is important."

As she calmed down, she took a few quick steps to my side and stared at my face, "Hey Riki is something wrong? You look a little pale."

"Huh? Oh...Nothing. Just a bad dream."

"Dream?" Kyousuke grabbed my shoulder. "On second thought...Rin stay here and take notes for Riki. I need to talk to him alone about something. And don't try to argue. You can catch up with him later. For now I need you to trust me and do as I say. Got it?"

When she sat down without putting up a fight, he rushed me out of the room and led me to the roof. Upon arriving on the roof, he locked the door behind them and faced me. A grim look encroached his face, which instantly put a feeling of fear in my stomach. Instinctively I placed a hand over my mouth in an attempt to hold back throw up.

"You shouldn't have dreamt anything Riki. Not during a Narcolepsy attack. What exactly was the dream?"

"I saw this weird blond girl. She was holding a gun and facing a masked man. The man's eyes glowed red, but the girl didn't back down. I was on one side of iron bars watching as the two disappeared into the darkness. The girl mentioned a promise to go on a date, and then I was dragged away from the dream. She seemed so familiar, as if I had met her before. Kyousuke...What's going on? Why are you acting like this is bad?" The worry overtook me.

"You finally remembered eh?" Kyousuke did a face palm and let out a sigh. "When we were in that transient world you had a dream, but I decided to erase your memory of it. You had dreamt of having a partner and defeating an organization. It was all the plot to my favorite Manga _School Revolution_. It looks like that dream came back partly. Don't think about it too much. Just go relax with Rin."

A dream? It sounded plausible. But I didn't buy it fully. Sure Kyousuke had done everything to save his little sister from going through life in a state of depression, but he had straight up lied to me. I didn't hate him for it, but I had secretly made a promise to question the things he fed me without hesitation. The labrynth we had fallen into was a prime example of following him blindly again. We almost lost Rin, and I wasn't going to let that just go that easily. After a moment of silence the two of us went back into the school using the key Kyousuke had been given. In the hallways I looked back at the stairs for a second, and then turned back around.

"You...!" Kyousuke's shocked voice grabbed my attention.

"Riki...!" The girl from my dream was standing in our way and then pulled me into a hug. "Long time no see!"

"Huh...?"

"Whaddya mean 'huh?' you jerk! Is that all you can say when your girlfriend manages to find you again after so long?" The girl was obviously mad.

"Girlfriend?" I asked dumbfounded. "Wait wait wait! That can't be right! I don't even know who you are! Besides I already have a girlfriend!"

"You...Don't remember me?" The girl looked hurt, and then stepped back in shock. "Of course...He erased your memory after it happened...Riki...The man standing beside you..."

"Don't say it!"

"Is the leader of the Darkness Executives. The very man you helped me beat in order to find the treasure of this school," The girl glared at Kyousuke. "The treasure was supposed to be a Bioweapon...But he made it into a Time Machine like _we_ originally wanted. He sent me back in time and allowed me to live on. He allowed me to play more with you when we were younger...Riki! Open your eyes! It's me! It's Aya!"

"You died! There is no way my powers in that world saved you!" Kyousuke was furious.

The memories came flooding back. There had been a girl I had played with before the accident. I had met her by chasing after my ball which had gotten away from me. Then we played together everyday until the accident happened. Then I never saw her again until she reappeared in the Transient World under the name Tokido Saya. Her name had been Aya. I had made a promise to her. A promise to take her on a date. But that had been in the Transient World. So why did I not remember her any more than that? Who was this girl who had shown up mysteriously? This girl who had apparently died?


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: I apologize for the lack of updates. I have become much busier than before, but I will start releasing a chapter a week. If I miss a deadline, then two chapters will be uploaded in the same week. The Aya arc is something I have trouble with, but nonetheless I will continue it.**

"The Girl Who Lived"

A few days have passed since my memories of Aya returned. Kyousuke was beyond mad, but he didn't do anything to prevent my getting to know her again. Though, admittedly the idea of Rin being okay with everything was a little much to ask. The two had begun competing for me. I loved Rin, no doubt, but a part of me also felt love for Aya. I was torn. Rin was real, and Aya had apparently been only a figment of Kyousuke's world. But there was no questioning that the girl that appeared was Aya. So did that make her real? Kyousuke wouldn't answer me any time I asked why he had taken my memories of her. Things were confusing for me, now more than ever.

Aya started attending again when the teachers mysteriously found records of her previously attending. Part of me knew that Kyousuke had pulled strings and gotten her accepted into the school again. The day went by quickly and classes were over before I knew it. Aya rushed to me before anyone else had the chance to. She grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room. I struggled to keep up with her, and even protested a little. Behind me I could hear Kengo and Masato calming down a furious Rin. I made a mental note to thank them later on.

"Aya where are we going?" I decided to ask.

"It's not fair that Rin gets all of your attention. I want it too! We made a promise didn't we? I still expect you to deliver," her voice grew threatening.

"But Rin-"

"Rin Rin Rin! That's all you ever talk about! Look I get it. You're dating her now. I don't like it, but I can't do anything but try to win you from her. And don't even try to talk me out of it. You know I love you and I know you still love me! You're just too nice of a guy to break up with Rin for me," she was still pulling me along while she ranted.

I knew somewhere deep down she was right. I still loved her, but I also loved Rin. I was stuck choosing between them. Should I choose the girl I asked out, or the girl I made a promise with? And if I really loved either, why am I unable to choose? That was what worried me the most. Something in my stomach told me to avoid choosing, and that they'll work it out themselves. But my heart told me to talk it out with them.

Given that hearts are typically driven by passion instead of logic, I decided to follow my instincts and avoid choosing for now at least. I was content with the way things were now, and I didn't want to mess that up. For now I could split my attention between them evenly until I know who it is I really loved.

"Naoe?" a familiar voice called out to me from behind. "Who is this?"

"Soujiro?" I turned to look at him. "Why are you here?"

"I had some errands to run. Want to explain why you're not with your girlfriend?" he persisted.

"A promise. I uh, I can't break my word. Rin's probably really mad. Can you tell her I'll explain everything tonight?"

"Sure I guess," he shrugged. "Oh right, still haven't gotten your name."

"Aya," she said. "That's all you need to know. Come on Riki~!" she began to pull me along again. I was getting tired of being dragged everyone, but I knew how strong she was, and not just physically. Her courage and passion for what she does is astounding, something we could definitely use in the Little Busters.

When the urge to ask her to join came up, a chill went down my spine. Apparently, she had sensed something as well. We locked eyes for a moment, and then we darted down a narrow alley. I fell slightly behind her, but that wasn't anything new to me. From my memories, I could tell that she always took the lead and I lagged behind. It was annoying, but acceptable.

"Impossible. Why do I sense the Darkness Executive here?" Aya asked. "That was so eerie."

"That shouldn't be possible here...Kyousuke isn't in control of this world," I closed my eyes to think for a little bit. "But...Is it linked to you being here? There wasn't another incident so I know I'm not back in the transient world. So that's the only explanation possible. Urgh! Thinking about it makes my head hurt."

She finally took a break from the running, and turned to face me. Her hair had fallen to hide her eyes, but it was easy enough to tell that she was annoyed. She glanced around to ensure that we had lost them. When she was sure of it, she kicked a wall.

"Aya?"

"It isn't fair! I can't have anything I want! I can't have you and I can't have a single day in the city with you! What's the point of even trying anymore?" she had clearly given up, which was unlike her. She kicked the wall again before leaning on it and sliding to the ground. She hugged her knees against her chest.

I sat next to her silently. I didn't have any words to help her. Or rather I wasn't sure which of the thoughts in my head would benefit her. One thought was that I could promise another time, after we had figured out what was going on. Another, to break up with Rin. The third considered breaking it off with her. And the final thought was to continue with our day out and ignore the danger we felt.

As I pondered which of these paths to take, I could feel eyes watching me. But I noticed that Aya wasn't the one watching me. I couldn't see anyone watching me in fact, but the feeling that someone was watching me wouldn't go away. I stood up just in time to hear a girl screaming nearby.


End file.
